Let the carrier wars continue. No doubt spurned a wee bit by T-Mobile's "we'll pay you to drop your carrier" promotion, Verizon has officially announced that it's dropping its Edge early-upgrade plan from a six-month wait to a 30-day wait.

In other words, if you are a complete gadget junkie and cannot possibly stand the thought that one of your friends has the latest smartphone, you'll now be better equipped to match their purchases so long as you don't mind paying a wee bit to do so.

According to a Verizon spokesperson, the shortened time frame for upgrades is allegedly just a "promotion" so far, but it's unclear just how long said bonus will last. Additionally, Verizon is also tossing in a $100 gift card for those who sign up for said Edge plan  so long as said person also trades in a working smartphone and buys a brand-new 4G LTE smartphone from Verizon.

For those who haven't been paying attention to the industry's new obsession with early upgrade plans, here's how Edge works: It's a basic, 24-month installment plan for one's phone. You pay the "Edge fee," for lack of a better phrase, on top of what you're already paying for your monthly service plan. Once you hit the halfway point of the total cost of your smartphone (Edge fees only!), you're eligible for another phone upgrade sans any bonus fees for doing so. You used to have to wait six months to be eligible for said upgrade but, as we mentioned, Verizon's wait time has now been shortened to a mere 30 days.

The problem? Many have criticized Verizon's Edge plan for "double dipping," given that one is already paying a subsidy of-sorts for one's device as part of one's contract agreement with Verizon itself. In other words, if you're on a two-year contract and also a member of the Edge program, you're paying a particular amount for your service  which already includes a subsidy for your device built into the cost of the plan itself  in addition to paying a fraction of the smartphone's full retail cost on a monthly basis.

Verizon's move does lessen this "bonus" amount that it generates from Edge subscribers, in that one could theoretically pay for the first month's service, pay for half the cost of the smartphone, and upgrade away, though it seems like a bit of an expensive proposition after a mere 30 days with one's brand-new device.

About the Author

David Murphy got his first real taste of technology journalism when he arrived at PC Magazine as an intern in 2005. A three-month gig turned to six months, six months turned to occasional freelance assignments, and he later rejoined his tech-loving, mostly New York-based friends as one of PCMag.com's news contributors.
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